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This pilot clinical trial studies vorinostat in treating patients with stage IV breast cancer receiving hormone therapy. Vorinostat may help hormone therapy work better by making tumor cells more sensitive to the drug.

I. Assess the safety and tolerability of vorinostat and AI combination therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

II. Assess the change in estrogen receptor (ER) expression, measured as the change in F-18 16 alpha-fluoroestradiol (FES) standardized uptake value (SUV) using FES positron emission tomography (PET) completed per protocol 7184 after two weeks of vorinostat and AI therapy and after 8 weeks of therapy.

III. Assess tumor metabolic response, measured as the change in fludeoxyglucose F 18 (FDG) SUV using FDG PET completed per protocol 7184 after two weeks of vorinostat and AI therapy and after 8 weeks of therapy.

VI. Assess the time to progression and the overall survival of patients treated with 28-day cycles of vorinostat (first 5 consecutive days each week for day 1-21) concurrent with daily AI therapy (all 28 days).

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Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Histologically or cytologically proven diagnosis of breast cancer

Stage IV disease

Patient has previously derived clinical benefit from endocrine therapy, but is no longer deriving benefit to endocrine therapy in the opinion of the treating investigator

At least one site of measurable disease, as defined by the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria

Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2

Female patient is post menopausal as defined by one of the following; free from menses for >= 2 years, surgically sterilized, FSH and estradiol in post-menopausal range AND surgical absence of uterus OR chemotherapy induced amenorrhea lasting > 1 year OR currently on ovarian suppression

Female patient of childbearing potential has a negative urine or serum (beta human chorionic gonadotropin [B-hCG]) pregnancy test within 14 days prior to receiving the first dose of vorinostat

Male patient agrees to use two barrier methods of contraception or abstain from intercourse for the duration of the study

Patient had prior treatment with an histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor (e.g., romidepsin [Depsipeptide], NSC-630176, MS 275, LAQ-824, belinostat (PXD-101), LBH589, MGCD0103, CRA024781, etc); patients who have received compounds with HDAC inhibitor-like activity, such as valproic acid, as anti-tumor therapy should not enroll in this study; patients who have received such compounds for other indications, e.g. valproic acid for epilepsy, may enroll after a 30-day washout period

Patient is on any systemic steroids that have not been stabilized to the equivalent of =< 10 mg/day prednisone during the 30 days prior to the start of the study drugs

Patient has known hypersensitivity to the components of study drug or its analogs

Type I diabetes mellitus; patients with type II diabetes mellitus will be included as long as their glucose can be controlled to under 200 mg/dL

Patient is pregnant or breast feeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the study

Patient with a "currently active" second malignancy, other than non-melanoma skin cancer and carcinoma in situ of the cervix, should not be enrolled; patients are not considered to have a "currently active" malignancy if they have completed therapy for a prior malignancy, are disease free from prior malignancies for > 5 years or are considered by their physician to be at less than 30% risk of relapse

Patients with known active viral hepatitis

Patient has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory (lab) abnormality that might confound the results of the study, interfere with the patient's participation for the full duration of the study or is not in the best interest of the patient to participate